Georgetown to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King

Friday, January 18, 2013

File Photo
The day will begin at 11 a.m. with a parade starting at the Beck
Administration Building on Church Street and ending at Howard Adult
Center campus.

The community is invited to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this Saturday with a series of special events in Georgetown.
Events will include a parade and a festival with music, vendors, children’s activities and performances, and more.
All proceeds benefit the Mitney Project, a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide preeminent, innovative cultural enrichment and educational programs to underprivileged youth of Georgetown and their families; and to nurture and support positive cultural development in their communities.
Leslie DeMetrie, executive director of the Mitney Project, said Georgetown’s West End community welcomes this celebration.
“We are not only celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a great American who was African-American, but we are also celebrating the African American community and Georgetown,” DeMetrie said. “I think they are very proud of that.”

Parade

The day will begin at 11 a.m. with a parade starting at the Beck Administration Building on Church Street and ending at Howard Adult Center campus between Hawkins Street and Butts Street.
The route will proceed along Church Street to Merriman Road, straight across Highway 521 to the Howard campus, where the festival and other activities will take place.
The grand marshal for the parade will be Cee Cee Edwards, a radio personality from 98.5 Kiss FM.
Parade participants include Georgetown County Fire Department, Cherry Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Diamonnaires Social Club, Georgetown, Andrews and Carvers Bay high school bands, and Browns Ferry Elementary band, Beach Worship Church, Liberty Tax, Georgetown County Library book mobile, Freedom Readers, World of Beauty Social Club, Omego Si Phi Fraternity, Salvation Army, Aaron’s Rentals, Georgetown High basketball team, Waccamaw EOC, United Way VISTA members, Nortira’s Groceries, motorcycle clubs including Third World Motorcycle Club.
Sponsors include Walmart, St. James Santee Family Health Center and Green’s Store.
Festival

The highlight of the festival after the parade will be a Battle of the Bands between drumlines of Georgetown, Andrews and Carvers Bay high schools.
Shanna M. Scott, events coordinator and consultant for the Mitney Project, said the bands are putting together something special for the event.
“People love hearing, seeing and feeling the drumlines perform,” Scott said.
“It will be a full experience, and very exciting for everyone from small children to older people. Drums have a historic connotation with African Americans — they were not only used as a form of communication, but also for entertainment.”
Other events, including dancing, singing and spoken word performances, will begin at 1 p.m. on the Howard campus.
There will also be a bike race with two new bicycles going to the winners and a jump rope-a-thon, DeMetrie said.
Mitney Project programs

Attendees will also have a chance to learn about the free and low-cost programs offered by the Mitney Project.
Mitney Project programs include dance studio classes, robotics classes, computer, music, financial, entrepreneurship and leadership workshops that serve youth and adults.
All programs are located at the Howard Adult Center and are offered throughout the year.
For more information, contact Events Coordinator Shanna M. Scott at (843) 455-0604, the Mitney office at (843) 546-7900, or e-mail mlkevent@themitneyproject.org.

By Clayton Stairs
cstairs@gtowntimes.com

Shanna M. Scott contributed to this story.

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